Blended Family

Pippa

Lin was a different man with his daughter gone. It was like he was missing a piece of his own body. He went through the motions day to day but the sparkle in his eyes was gone. The easy way he joked around had disappeared. In its place, a shell of a man trying to hang on.

My son was like a lovesick puppy. He missed Joey terribly and so did I. Alex asked about her daily and I had to remind her she was away in Chicago for a while. She missed her as well.

After the kids had been put to bed one night, Lin went back to our room when he got a call from Clarita. I walked in to change and eavesdropped a bit on the conversation.

"She's lost five pounds?" he asked his ex as he paced the room slowly. "Is she not eating?"

He was quiet as Clarita spoke to him, concern etched on his face. Joey was pretty thin anyway so if she'd lost five pounds she was getting on the unhealthy side.

"Well maybe she needs to see a counselor," Lin suggested. "Well, you need to make her go. You can't let her just mope around. Sometimes she needs a kick in the butt."

Clarita spoke more and Lin was nodding. I brushed my teeth and then climbed into bed. Lin said goodbye and collapsed onto the bed.

"Joey's still struggling?" I guessed.

"Yeah," he scrubbed a hand over his face. "She's not eating. She's skipping school and hasn't made any friends. I think she's depressed."

"Will she not go see a counselor?" I asked, rubbing my hand over his chest.

"No, she's refusing," he said. "She'll go a couple days without showering and just stay in her room."

"Wow," I said, stunned. "That's not like her at all."

Joey was always on top of things. She ran on a regular basis and took pride in her appearance. To hear she was lazing around in her pajamas all day and not going to school was troubling.

"No it's not," he agreed. "Maybe I should go visit for a few days."

"That might lift her spirits," I agreed. He looked over at me.

"Would you be okay with the little kids by yourself for a while?" he asked.

"Of course," I said. "I can always call your parents if I need help."

He offered a small smile, then leaned in to kiss me. "Thank you."

"No problem," I said. "We've gotta get Joey through this."

___

Lin booked his plane tickets the next day for that weekend. He'd go Friday and come back late Monday so he'd have a long weekend. Now that he had plans to see Joey he perked up a little bit. Elliott asked if he could go too but I told him that she needed her parents' attention right now.

Managing Alex and Jack was pretty challenging but it was nothing I couldn't handle. Elliott was actually helpful, stepping in to play with them sometimes so I could get things done. Alex liked to rough house with him a little, and it turned into loud tickle and laughter sessions.

I texted Lin a lot to get updates on Joey. She'd perked up since Lin had arrived which apparently irked Clarita a bit. She hated that she couldn't make her daughter happy by herself.

The weekend passed quickly since I was so busy with the kids. I was glad to have Lin home late Monday night. He got in close to midnight and came into the bedroom quietly. I turned over in bed and smiled at him.

"Hey, you," I said.

"Hey," he whispered. "Sorry if I woke you."

"How was the flight?"

"Fine," he said, wheeling his suitcase in, then setting it on the floor. "No hitches. It was hard to leave Joey again."

"I bet," I said, watching him kick off his shoes and undress. He took a quick shower and brushed his teeth before joining me in bed. We faced each other and we kissed gently several times, glad to see each other. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," he whispered, running his fingers through my hair.

"How's Joey?" I asked.

He inhaled a little. "Struggling. She begged me to bring her back."

"Poor kid," I said. "Heard anything from your lawyer?"

"He's still working on the appeal," he said. "You know, if I could get her checked out by a doctor or psychiatrist maybe they'd diagnose her as depressed. We could use that."

"Do you think she's depressed?" I asked.

"I've never seen her like this," he said. "She's lost all her spunk."

This was upsetting to hear. In the short time I'd known Joey she'd always been vivacious and full of life. Both her and Lin were really struggling.

As the weeks went on Joey seemed to keep deteriorating. Her grades started to slip and she still missed a lot of school. I tried FaceTiming her with Alex and Jack to lift her spirits a couple times a week. Her face was always sullen, unenthusiastic. Something needed to give.